By Nigel Goddard and Sandra Meinert

The Glorious Twelfth

From the 26th to the 28th March 2010 this world-beating Wheelchair Rugby tournament will be held in Köln for the 12th time. In its grand tradition the Rollstuhl-Club Köln e.V. is organising the largest and most significant Wheelchair Rugby tournament in the world. The special quality of the Bernd Best Tournament is that the entire playing community of Rugby players is represented, from internationals to rank beginners. More than 300 players from 14 countries are awaiting the 2010 edition, and yet again, as every year, it will be the biggest tournament ever. Last year numerous teams had to forgo a place in the starting lineup because the Bernd Best Tournament had reached its capacity. Innumerable volunteers will perform logistical miracles in three sports halls in east Köln to mount a smooth running event.

The patrons of the tournament are Gerda Pleitgen, chair of the Förderkreises Behindertensport des Deutschen Behinderten-Sportverbandes, and Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee.

There will be a hectic social calendar associated with this sporting event, to celebrate the getting together of all those associated with the Rugby world. Traditionally the Finals on Sunday are the highpoint of the tournament.

The Game

Wheelchair Rugby was developed 30 years ago in Canada, and given the name "Murderball". It is principally played by people with a spinal code lesion (tetraplegic) or with a similar disability. All players have limited movement in their legs and in their arms and hands. In a spectacular fusion of dodgems and chess the players try to score as many goals as possible by carrying a volleyball across the eight metre wide end line. To that end the players constantly crash into each other in their specially modified sports chairs, combining frantic action with sophisticated strategy, making this contest one of the most compelling in wheelchair sport.

Equality on the playing field is attained through use of a classifying system which compensates for physical limitations, with an extra allowance for female players.

Equality on the playing field is attained through use of a classifying system which compensates for physical limitations, with an extra allowance for women. Special emphasis at the Bernd Best Tournament is placed on the participation of female players, whose numbers increase every year.

A declared aim is the encouragement of new players, male and female, to contribute through sport to integration of disabled people and to foster a feeling of community in all wheelchair users. This policy originated with Bernd Best, one of the founders of the Rollstuhl-Club Köln.

An overview of the four Leagues

The special character of the Bernd Best Tournament resides in its four leagues.

Again this year the sporting highlight is the Champions League, for the highest performing teams and clubs in Europe. In the Professional and Advanced Leagues national and international club teams compete against each other. The Advanced League, the biggest league in 2009, marks the crossover point between casual interest in the sport and serious competition, showing that the Bernd Best Tournament is confirming its position as a breeding ground for new talent.

The Basic League encompasses beginners, occasional players and casual players. This year it will again consist mainly of German teams.

A tradition in European Wheelchair Rugby celebrates a successful "kölsches" anniversary.
by Nigel Goddard and Mike Eichholtz, photos by Wolfgang Raaf

Three days of competition, 3 sports halls, 11 courts, 48 teams from 12 countries, 330 players, 60 referees, 120 games, 8378 goals, more than 200 willing helpers.. these statistics can only impart a small impression of the phenomenon that the BBT has become in the eleventh year of its existence. In addition, consider that the tournament's capacity had been reached this year and many teams interested in taking part had to be turned away. It has become apparent that the world's largest Wheelchair Rugby tournament is stretching itself to the limit. Not for nothing has the 40-strong management team from the organising club RSC Köln been working for four months on the planning and smooth running of this Mega-Event.

On Sunday 5th April at about 6pm, when the last trophy had been presented, all those involved could proudly congratulate each other that this year's BBT had again been an outstanding success.

In the highest classification, the Champions League, the Rebels from Karlsruhe could celebrate their third success following wins in 2006 and 2007. Athough during the group stage of the tournament they suffered a defeat at the hands of the European Giants, the Badeners could revise their tactics for their second clash in the final, most of all in the decisive second half. In the end they soundly beat the team of mixed European stars, strengthened by world class Canadian player Fabien Lavoie. The Rebels booked their place in the final in an enthralling semifinal against perennial rivals London, which was decided following a turnover against London in the key phase of the game and the Karlsruhe winning goal with four seconds remaining on the clock.

The Belgian Lions took third place in the battle of the Lions against London, similarly reversing a result against them in the group stage.
All the results and placings in the Champions League in detail

In an otherwise evenly matched Professional League the two dominant teams clashed in the final. The Flying Wheels from Austria, already victorious in the group phase against the Nacka Spiders from Sweden, staged a repeat performance in the final. After their second place last year the Flying Wheels also went back home with the winner's trophy. Last year's winners of the Professional Leaue, the Crashing Dream Team from the Netherlands, had to be content with fourth place after their defeat in the 3/4 final, third place being taken by Gaelic Warriors 1 from Ireland.
All the results and placings in the Professional League in detail

All the participants can now take a break from their exertions before the call to arms again in a few months for the organising team: Kick-Off Meeting for the Bernd-Best Tournament 2010, 26-28 March 2010. "Rugby or not to be"!